ERIE — The Neosho River bridge project south of Erie is progressing as planned and remains on budget, according to Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) officials. The bridge, which closed to traffic on January 30, is being replaced by A.M. Cohron and Son Inc. of Atlantic, Iowa, with a budget of $11.2 million.
Construction is currently focused on the substructure, including the piers and abutments. The project, which has 85 working days and 40 clean-up days remaining, is expected to be completed by May 2025, extending beyond the original January 2025 estimate. Traffic has been rerouted to U.S. 169 to avoid the construction zone. Additionally, following the Neosho River bridge project, work will begin on replacing the U.S. 59 railroad bridge north of Parsons, with bids scheduled to be let in November. KDOT plans to open the Neosho River bridge before starting the Parsons overpass project, with further information to follow post-bid letting. In other transportation news, there will be an extended road closure for the N Elk River Bridge north of Chanute beginning September 30 that will affect traffic going north on Lincoln. More details about this closure and alternate routes will be provided in next week’s paper.
